Liposuction: Q&A

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Is Having the Ideal Weight Essential for Liposuction?

I'm not at my ideal weight. Does that mean my appearance cannot be improved at all? (I'd like to have abs Liposuction, but not a Tummy Tuck) Thanks.

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17 Doctor Answers | Asked by marta akashe

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Ideal Weight For Liposuction

Liposuction is geared for patients who have "troubled" areas of fat or pockets of fat that they would like to have removed. It is not a weight loss procedure and you should not really be looking for weight reduction afterwards. The procedure is meant to contour the areas. Having said that, the best results are obtained on patients that are close to or at the ideal weight. Hope that helps.

Liposuction Candidate?

Thank you for the question. A good liposuction candidate is a patient who presents with diet and exercise resistant adipose tissue isolated to specific areas. These patients are not looking for a weight loss solution. On the other hand " ideal weight” can be somewhat arbitrary and is not an absolute criteria in determining candidates for the procedure. Good skin elasticity is also an important attribute of the patient undergoing liposuction surgery.... more

Liposuction above ideal body weight

Dear Marta, The ideal surgical result occurs when liposuction is used to address a localized fat deposit on a patient at their ideal body weight. The procedure can still give nice results on patients who are overweight, but I do not perform liposuction on patients who are obese. Patients who are obese (BMI > 30) are best suited by weight reduction, and can later consider appropriate body contouring once they reach a healthy weight. As others have mentioned, liposuction is not for... more

Ideal weight for liposuction

You would most definitely get a better result if you were at your ideal weight, but this is not the reality for many people undergoing liposuction. You certainly may not get a ripped abdomen after liposuction, but it may help reduce the girth around the belly. Intraabdominal fat may make the muscle extend forward and you will not get a great result if this is the only cause of the weight gain. An examination by the surgeon can determine if this is a procedure for you or if you need a tummy... more

Liposuction on overweight patients.

Hi! Here's what you need to know. You can get a lot of improvement in a particular area with liposuction, even if you are overweight. You will still be overweight afterwards (which you understand), but you will like your shape better.

Weight and Liposuction

Liposuction obtains best results when your weight is ideal and the target is a defined fat pad. Liposuction is not a tool for weight loss. It does provide an adjunct for weight management as the improvements in circumference encourages better and healthy decisions. Recently, I have been very impressed with the potential of the new non-invasive low level laser treatments for bodyshaping as it plays an empowering role in personal shape transformation when combined with health coaching.... more

Liposuction but not a tummy tuck

Yes, you can have liposuction without the perfect end result. People do it every single day. In fact, most candidates that get liposuction aren't the ideal body weight. The farther off that you are though, probably the less content you'll be in the long term. At first you'll look great, the improvement could be excellent but if you don't change your habits (lifestyle, diet, exercise..) then you may feel that it all just "came back somewhere else". Remember that it's not a... more

Liposuction candidate

Being close to your ideal body weight will make you a better candidate for liposuction than an overweight person. Of course, liposuction is always best for patients with good skin tone.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction as a contouring tool

The primary goal of liposuction is to remove excessive fat cells and improve contour. Even if you are not at ideal weight, you can still benefit from liposuction. Of course, someone who is at ideal weight and has limited or localized fat will likely to benefit the most from liposuction. The procedure will remove excessive fat cells from the treated area, even if you are overweight. It wouldn't reduce your weight signficantly but it can improve the shape and contour of the treated area. The... more

It's best to lose weight before Lipo

Depending on where you're starting, weight loss can usually achieve more tha liposuction. Liposuction is a refining procedure to remove specific areas of fat which do not decrease with diet and exercise. Lipo is not a method of weight loss.

Liposuction is a good treatment for localized fat deposits.

You don't have to be at an ideal weight, but only have excess in a few places--like abdomen and or love handles. Lipo is not a means of weight reduction.

Toby Mayer, MD

7 reviews

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

Ideal weight not clear for individuals

While some surgeons want you within 10-15% of your ideal weight, I prefer to go by lifestyle, meaning habits, exercise routine, activity level, diet. The important thing is to achieve your highest level of fitness that you can maintain. Once you achieve that, your surgeon can more accurately determine the safest and most effective treatment to achieve your goals.

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD

4 reviews

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Ideal weight for liposuction

Basically, I tell patients that you should be at your realistic weight - what you are day in and day out. "ideal weight" is usually not realistic and not sustainable. Have the liposuction at your normal or realistic weight. I cannot comment specifically without examining you or seeing pictures, but you should see nice changes with liposuction. Good luck with your procedure.

Liposuction and ideal weight

Your question hits a common misconception about liposuction, namely that it is for reshaping rather than weight loss. By removing fat cells from parts of the body where fat tends to accumulate disproportionately to other areas, it tends to distribute more evenly. However, if you are expecting weight loss, it doesn't usually accomplish that in the long run since your diet, exercise habits, and metabolism will determine that. So lipo for people who are significantly overweight is a waste of... more

Ideal weight for liposuction

Assuming you do not have redundant, stretched skin ,and or rectus muscle separation then an improvement is usually seen. Remember, liposuction is a sculpting tool and NOT a weight loss proceedure so if you are signiicantly overweight there are limits to what can be acheived.

Ideal weight for Liposuction

As I tell all my patients, "do not focus on the number, focus on the shape". So, your weight is not an indicator of anything. Look at your shape. Are you round in shape? Is there hanging skin? So you have a lot of stretch marks? I you answered "Yes" to these, than liposuction may not be the best option for you. The important thing to remember about liposuction is that it removes fat, not skin. (Yes, laser-assisted liposuction will cause more skin retraction than... more

Liposuction best when you're at weight you can maintain over time

Hello, Liposuction is best when you are at a weight you can maintain over time. That does not need to be your "ideal" body weight, but weight fluctuations after liposuction can change the results. This is one of the reasons few liposuction surgeons "guarantee" their results. Most patients see some improvement from liposuction.